The trouble with this reasoning is that it leaves one wondering not only if Mr Dalio has ever met a wildebeest but whether he has met a human being. Most of the evolved humans I know hate being metaphorically ripped limb from limb by public criticism just as the wildebeest surely hates it in reality.
　　同樣，進化人喜歡雷蒙德世界里違法的事情。在人背后嚼舌頭——在他看來，這是僅次于監(jiān)守自盜的壞事——在任何機構中都必不可少，這樣做既可以消遣，還可以圓滑處事。如果雷蒙德認為自己的下屬從不在背后對他說三道四，他也太容易被哄騙了。
　　Equally the evolved human loves things that are illegal in Ray's world. Talking behind peoples' backs – which he says is second-worst thing to having your hand in the till – is vital in any organisation, both for recreational and diplomatic purposes. If Mr Dalio thinks his underlings never bad-mouth him behind his back, he is dangerously deluded.
　　只有將那些唬人的哲學空話從“準則”中剔除，部分準則才有可能讓人耳目一新。在戴利奧的世界里，并不存在“人才”和“我們”的力量之類空洞的廢話。相反，你要雇用絕頂聰明的人，并積極管理他們——這在一定程度上解釋了他的公司為何能取得成功。
　　If only one could take out the philosophical claptrap from “Principles”, some of the rules might make refreshing reading. There is no wishy-washy crud about “talent” and the power of “we”. Instead, in Mr Dalio's world, you hire super-bright people and manage them actively – which partly explains why his business is a success.
　　但就在我隱約感到一絲振奮時，我看到了其中一條準則，教導經(jīng)理們將下屬想象成棒球卡。這一條比其它準則都更能說明，“準則”為何毫無價值。雷蒙德或許是一位出色的投資者，但在情感上，他仍只是一個孩子。對于成年人而言，管理并不像搜集棒球卡。人才無法在棒球場上交換，嚴格按照安打率和失誤率進行評級。相反，他們是理性、無理性、情感、抱負、懶惰、善良和惡意的復雜混合體。
　　Yet just as I was feeling vaguely invigorated, I came upon a rule that tells managers to think of their underlings like baseball cards. This, more than any of the others, explains why “Principles” is such a dud. Ray might be a brilliant investor, but he is still a little boy in emotional terms. For grown-ups, managing is not like collecting baseball cards. People cannot be swapped in playgrounds, graded exactly according to batting averages and errors. Instead they are complicated mixtures of rationality, irrationality, emotion, ambition, laziness, goodness and spite.
　　仿佛是擔心雷蒙德的世界會被視為缺乏人情，第114條準則教導經(jīng)理們要“真心實意地關心為你工作的人。盡量參加他們婚禮、分娩和葬禮”。這是最恐怖的準則。我立即把這一條記了下來：有誰敢當面貶損我，或像對待棒球卡一樣對待我的人，都不會受邀參加我的葬禮。
　　As if fearing that Ray's World might be seen as lacking in human warmth, Principle 114 instructs managers to “sincerely care about the people who work for you. Try to be there for weddings, births and funerals”, he orders. This is the most chilling principle of all. I'm putting this on the record right now: anyone who tells me I'm rubbish to my face and views me like a baseball card is not invited to my funeral.